Follow up - Bomb Threat at Maine South on 10/4
10/6/2008
Sunday morning’s (10/5) opportunity for students to reclaim their belongings that were left behind as a result of Saturday night’s cancellation of the homecoming dance went well. Almost all of our students were able to stop by to collect their items. My sincerest appreciation goes out to all of our students for their cooperation during the evacuation as well as their patience with Sunday morning’s retrieval of their possessions.
To restate the events of the past several hours, a 911 dispatcher notified Maine South that three calls had been made stating that a bomb was set to detonate at Maine South. Given the potential gravity of the threat, consideration for the safety of the students prevailed, and everyone was moved from the gymnasium to our crisis relocation site, Wilson Field.
When the Cook County Police Department indicated that its explosives detection canines were a significant distance from Park Ridge, and would not be available for almost an hour, the decision was made to cancel the dance to allow students to leave the campus and find shelter and/or continue their plans for the evening.
Canines were used later in the evening, and their sweep indicated there was no presence of explosives on campus. Thus, there was no damage to the campus nor were any students injured.
The Park Ridge Police Department as well as the Maine South Security personnel are investigating this incident. Rest assured that we will do everything possible to identify the person responsible for this incredibly unfortunate event.
--Mr. Claypool
Principal Maine South High School